A certain southern political commentator and lead strategist on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign recently suggested the right-wing conspiracy Hillary Rodham Clinton once talked about is alive and well. He said they would be joined by self-described 'purist' liberals and the media all trying to bring down her potential bid for the White House and suggested supporters need to prepare for a tough race. Till now despite their efforts early polling shows her with large leads over all potential Republican challengers.
A recent column in the Washington Post by Anne Gearan 'Supporters say Clinton developing smarter, more relevant campaign for 2016' highlights even good pieces on Hillary in the media will contain some anonymous nasty quotes as the way to get in digs at her as a person and a candidate.
Who are the so-called whiny liberals or 'purists'? Clearly this appellation doesn't refer to the overwhelming block of voters who consider themselves liberal who may disagree with a particular position of Hillary's. There are many good people who want to encourage a healthy debate on the issues in an effort to avoid appearing as if this is a coronation. But the self-identified 'purists' often value only their side of a single issue. They attack Hillary as not being pure enough on their issue and have been trying to drum up a challenger who fits their idea of pure. The problem is anyone who meets their definition of a purist can't possibly win the general election. They also conveniently ignore Hillary's lifelong work and record which supports much of what they want.
Recently Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), someone I admire greatly, again stated unequivocally she is not a candidate for president in 2016. The time has come for her supporters to take her at her word and follow her lead and forgo attacks on Hillary. Instead they could do as Warren does and talk positively about the issues she cares about in a clear and concise way. Warren's continuing to do so will have an impact on the platform Hillary Clinton will run on. Warren is smart and understands to move her agenda forward she needs a Democrat in the White House. Then most of the ideas President Obama spoke so clearly about in his State of the Union (SOTU) speech will also find their way into the platform Clinton would run on as reported by Amie Parnes in The Hill, "Moments after Obama wrapped up his hour-long speech, Clinton, who is getting closer to making a decision about a 2016 presidential run, took to Twitter to say that Obama pointed (the) way to an economy that works for all. Now we need to step up & deliver for the middle class, Clinton wrote, adding the hashtags 'fair shot' and 'fair share' to her tweet."
Hillary's life and work demonstrate she is a liberal. She is also a realist and over decades has learned simply taking positions isn't enough. In a Democracy getting things done requires compromise as long as you don't compromise your basic principles and Hillary never has. In frustration Winston Churchill once said "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
Hillary stands for and spent a lifetime working to make life better for children, women, and LGBT persons. She has fought for civil rights, universal healthcare and programs like Head Start. She continues to speak out for equal pay for equal work for women, affordable childcare and equal justice under the law which she has done since her college days and as Chair of the Legal Services Corporation. There are few issues today's liberals and progressives want action on that Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't spoken out on and fought for.
Yet to some she isn't pure enough and is too cozy with Wall Street. Hillary understands as president, like every successful liberal before her, Wall Street is a sector of our society she will have to work with. Working with them doesn't mean not fighting them and demanding we create a society more equal with an opportunity for everyone to get ahead.
The right-wing conspiracy is alive and well as reported in the New York Times and many of its current leaders are vying for the Republican nomination. You know them by their outrageous remarks about, and charges against Hillary all of which have been debunked many times. While Benghazi is number one today Hillary understands and her supporters need to be prepared for a replay of every attack used in the 90s being used again. Supporters just need to remember for all their efforts Bill Clinton was a two term president and Hillary was elected twice to the United States Senate and is today the most admired woman in the world.
Voters in 2016 will look beyond all the chatter because they see Hillary as a president. While 18,000,000 Democrats once cast their ballot for her this time as the Democratic nominee with the support of Democrats, Independents and even many Republicans committed to a fairer and better future for all Americans, Hillary will break through that final glass ceiling and America and the world will be better for it.